Re:Librarian's Letter to Google Security
by bawolff on Monday August 01, 2022 @09:48PM
(#32314334)
> You seem to be working with a different definition of "wrong" than the rest of the planet.
How would you define it then?
I know this is sort of a trick question, as defining morality is something moral philosophers have struggled with since forever.
Generally though, i think that if you give something to someone for free, you're not responsible to teach them how to use it or make it accessible to use (Unless you promised otherwise).
e.g. We don't think Linus is responsible for teaching a course on how to use Linux.
> There are people becoming homeless and losing government benefits because of Google.
Is it really because of google? I would think the primary party to blame here would be the government that seems to insist using email to communicate about benefits. This seems highly inappropriate given the audience they are trying to serve.
> Either you didn't read the letter, or you are a deeply amoral person who should seek professional help.
You can be sympathetic to the situation without thinking google is at fault here. Or alternatively think the situation is really sad and unfortunate but think that imposing a duty to provide support is a bad solution.
How would you define it then?
I know this is sort of a trick question, as defining morality is something moral philosophers have struggled with since forever.
Generally though, i think that if you give something to someone for free, you're not responsible to teach them how to use it or make it accessible to use (Unless you promised otherwise).
e.g. We don't think Linus is responsible for teaching a course on how to use Linux.
> There are people becoming homeless and losing government benefits because of Google.
Is it really because of google? I would think the primary party to blame here would be the government that seems to insist using email to communicate about benefits. This seems highly inappropriate given the audience they are trying to serve.
> Either you didn't read the letter, or you are a deeply amoral person who should seek professional help.
You can be sympathetic to the situation without thinking google is at fault here. Or alternatively think the situation is really sad and unfortunate but think that imposing a duty to provide support is a bad solution.